14-35. Wyvern Kingdom (2) Meeting at the Dragon Shrine

Satou's here. In manga and dramas in the past, There were scenes of aunties who liked to be the matchmaker setting up marriage meetings. Companies who plan for marriage hunting parties appeared in place of such a person lately.

◇

I head toward the Dragon Shrine at the end of the road while looking at the stalls along the road to the shrine with Liza.

"Look at that Liza."
"Is this a wood carving modeled after a dragon?"
『You have some good eyes customer, nyamo.』

--nyamo? What kind of ending word is that?

I checked the lizardfolk shopkeeper since I had a bad feeling about it, but it seems the shopkeeper is just a normal person.
According to the log it's the [Red Scale Kin Language], so I probably heard it in a strange dialect because of the effect of the [Green Scale Kin Language] skill I already had.

There's no need to put points into the skill, I invoke [Translate] magic and correct the strange dialect.

"This is an ornament for the hair and scale, you put it like this, see."
"Ornaments and I don't...."

The shopkeeper showed how it was done, so I tried putting one on Liza.
Oh, it unexpectedly suits her.

"Yup, it looks good on you."
"I-if Master said so."

Liza's swinging tail reveled the delight in her mind.
I gave a copper coin to the shopkeeper as the payment.

"Oh, it's quite rare to see Shiga Kingdom's copper coin."
"Can't I use it?"
"Nope, you're very welcome since that kingdom isn't stingy with the copper. The reputation is good among the merchants outside too."

While saying so, the shopkeeper showed a rusted copper coin.
Looks like copper coins of this country have a lot of impurities.

As such, Liza and I toured the road to the shrine.
There were some stalls selling whole roasted capybara-like creatures in the rest area open space halfway through the road.
They're not sold whole roasted, but the meat is chipped and then put into wrapped black crepe.

"If you're not feeling well, should we go back?"
"No, it is not about that..."

Liza who looks evasive seems like she's enduring a pain.
Is she troubled with something?

"When Pochi and Tama can't eat meat during their punishment, for me to eat it in secret is...."

I see, she's being reserved for the two huh.

But when I asked her about how she ate meat normally in the dining table, she said that it was to make the two realize that it was a punishment, if Liza were to not eat meat then, the other girls would follow too and it would just look like a compulsion.
It's really like Liza, but I don't think she needs to over think that far.

"Then, let's eat something besides meat."

I said that and bought a sukombu-like things sold on a stall nearby, then I shared half to Liza.
It's quite chewy so it should suits Liza's taste.

◇

"So this is the Dragon Shrine."
"It's smaller than I thought."

In the open space before the Dragon Shrine, I look up at the shrine that looks like it's made from white concrete.
The plaster is probably made with earth magic so it looks like concrete. It's a method of construction I saw some in the royal and duchy capitals.

The roof of the rectangular building is shaped like a dome, so it somehow looks like an astronomical observatory.

『--Dragon! M-my name is Bar-Baut of beastkin! I challenge you to a fair fight!』

The introduction carried by the wind sounded intermittent.

Seen from behind, the owner of the voice is standing in a round-shaped arena as large as a track field.
It's surrounded by three cliffs, it seem the top of the cliffs are the napping spots of the lesser dragons.
I can't see due to the crowds, but according to the map, it seems there's a deep valley between the back of the Dragon Shrine and the round arena connected by a suspension bridge.
It seems the place beyond the valley is a prohibited ground, there's no one there besides the aforementioned beastkin man.

"That beast lad is already at his third day huh?"
"He couldn't do anything against dragon-sama, poor him."
"He's powerless and only looking for death."

The gossips around us conveyed the situation.
There were some dangerous words, but there's no need to mind it.

The jeers from the spectators flung to the man were grating, so I urged Liza to enter the Dragon Shrine.

When we entered the shrine, we came to a place directly under the dome, the ceiling was high.
A slanted ceiling on the deep is opened, we can see a part of the napping lesser dragons on the cliffs from here.
Some of the worshipers are praying while looking up at that lesser dragons.

--Rather than that.

The mural inside the dome is wonderful.
Religious painting are depicted there, similar to the one in Seryuu City's Parion Temple.

"Nobleman of foreign country, would you like to make an almsgiving."

An Orange Scalekin girl who was wearing high-exposure miko clothing called out.
Almsgiving--even though she's asking for donation for the shrine, she's bearing herself coldly without trying to flatter me.

Her atmosphere is somehow similar to Liza.

While I was thinking so, the girl kept staring calmly like a doll.
Liza called me in a quiet voice, "Master", I feel ashamed of my ill manner.

"I'm sorry. I was lost in thought."

I apologize to the miko girl and take out a small bag with 10 Saga Empire gold coins from my pocket, then I put it on the tray for almsgiving the girl is carrying.

I might come here as Satou later, so I used Saga Empire gold coins to reduce the chance of getting exposed.

"....So much."

The miko girl showed her first surprised reaction when she peeked at the glittering gold coins in the small bag.
A miko with low exposure clothing who noticed that quickly approached us.

"Oh my, what a devout you are! As a senior miko, I'll guide you from now on."

A Red Scalekin senior miko smiled with her whole face.
She has light makeup but her sweet perfume tickles my nose.

"--The one who's showing his face right now is 『Shippu』-sama. He's still young so he likes to play games of tag with the kingdom's Wyvern Riders."

The senior miko who's pulling my arm explains about the lesser dragon that can be seen from the skylight.

It seems this Dragon Shrine isn't a shrine that worships the Dragon God.
The object of faith seems to be the whole dragon kin itself.

"Ah! Did you see the black tail who peeked just now? That's the oldest 『Bouryu』-sama! He rarely ever nap on the ground!"

It's good that she's excited and all but her ample breasts are deforming on my arm.
It feels nice so I don't mind, but the junior miko is touching her own breasts sorrowfully, so please leave it at that.

Contrary to the carefree senior miko, I could hear rustles and armor's sounds from the direction of the Dragon Shrine's entrance.

"Oy, that--isn't that someone from the Five Scale Houses?"
"Yeah, he's probably going to do the 『Dragon Challenging Ceremony』."

He looks like a handsome man even though he has lizard face.
In fact, the lizardkin girls in the Dragon Shrine are passionately looking at the maccho warrior.

"He seems to be quite able. He's no match against Pochi and Tama, but he might be stronger than Karina-sama."

Liza muttered so when she saw the macho warrior.
There's no particular comment about his figure.

The spear in his hand is made from the horn of a lesser dragon, its superb performance is equal to Liza's magic spear Douma Mk2.
He's level 45, among the five best in the country.

"--Ho?"

The maccho warrior notices us and looks at Liza with sharp eyes.

Blazing line of sights that feel like it'll scattering sparks are exchanged.
Guess a warrior understands other warrior--.

"Girl, become my wife."

--or not.

With the macho warrior's words, shock ran through the people who are in the Dragon Shrine.

"I refuse."

Liza declined immediately, rustles and screams with different meaning than the earlier fill the Dragon Shrine.
The backbiting from the female lizardkin were particularly bad.

The macho warrior who was taken aback smiles broadly.

"--Fuhahahahaha. Interesting, I never thought there was a woman who would dump me."
"I do not intend to form a pair with someone weaker than me. Come back after you're at least able to defeat a greater demon."

Liza coldly dealt the macho warrior who was laughing happily.
Liza.... I don't think there's a man who can satisfy such an unreasonable requirement you know?

"I won't fight greater demon whose location I don't know, but I'll show you my fight with a dragon later. Watch that fight and fall for me! I'll make you ask me to be my wife yourself."

The macho warrior who boasted full of confidence went into the Dragon Shrine's depth together with a dragonewt head-miko who came for him from the deep of the shrine.

◇

"--This mural depicts the exploits of the founder king Riui-sama."

Since the other senior miko went with the macho warrior, we listened the explanation of the murals by the Orange Scalekin junior miko.

"Those six people are King Riui and the founders of the Five Scale Houses."

According to the junior miko's explanation, the weapons the founders had were Dragon Fang Spear, Dragon Horn Spear, Dragon Thorn Halberd, Twin Dragon Claw Sword, and Dragon Claw Great Sword.
The thing the macho warrior held earlier is the Dragon Horn Spear, and the current king has the Dragon Fang Spear.

"This depicts the battle against the military forces of the mad king Galtafut. The one drawn back to back with King Riui is the Saga Empire hero. This little thing drawn here is the light ship of Boruenan elf, so it's handed down."

There's a hero wearing the same blue armor Hero Hayato wore.
The holy sword shining blue light looks like something that appears in a Japanese myth.

As we were looking up at the wall and listening, we came to a mysterious drawing.

"What's this drawing?"
"That's King Riui turning into a dragon using the secret art of the 『Wich of Origin』."

--A person turning into a dragon?

"A person cannot become a dragon."

Liza resolutely dismissed the junior miko.

"It's the truth. It's not only clearly written in the scriptures of the shrine, but also in the official documents of the kingdom."

The junior miko bit back even though she was daunted by Liza's words.

Certainly, races that can change their body like vampires that can create followers by shifting one part of their body into a bat or a wolf, or lycanthropes and werewolves that can turn from a human into a wolf exist in this world.

Moreover, there are also magic that can create giant creatures like the spirit magic's artificial spirit or earth magic's golem.

Human turning into dragon is something overflowing with fantasy, it's really wonderful so I'd like for it to exist.

However--unfortunately, that's impossible.

Because, even the heavenly dragon who excels in magic power and is second only to the Dragon God among the dragons uses a homonculus controlled remotely instead of [Turning into Human].
If there were a magic that can [turn a person into a dragon], the heavenly dragon who's lived for a long time would have developed a magic to [turn a dragon into a human].

The [Dragon Change] magic is probably one of the fairy-tales that the first generation king and the Dragon Shrine created with their authorities.
Even though I concluded so, no one would be happy if their belief was struck by someone's opinion, so I don't intend to say it out loud.

"I'll excuse myself."

First I should apologize to the angry junior miko whose belief was dismissed.

"Liza you shouldn't dismiss the myth of this country."
"Yes, master...."

Liza who noticed her verbal slip regained her composure.

"Miko-dono, I retract my careless remark previously."
"A-as long as you understand."

Liza apologized, the junior miko replied stoutly while trembling and looking like she'd cry.
Faith seems to be quite difficult.

◇

The one who saved us from the awkward atmosphere is the macho warrior who came out from the depth of the shrine.

His scales somehow look moist and glittering.
Even more intense screams came from the female lizardkin toward the macho warrior whose handsomeness had increased.

I wonder if there's a hot spring inside the shrine?

So I thought, but I saw that the glitters were the effect of reinforcement and defensive spells of water magic from looking at the AR reading.

It seems the miko here use water magic instead of holy magic.

"Hmph, you waited for me huh."

The macho warrior saw Liza and said satisfyingly.
Just where does that confidence come from.

"Come with me, I'll let you fall for me from a special seat--"

After telling that, the macho warrior triumphantly went out of the shrine without waiting for Liza's reply.

Due to that, he didn't see Liza shaking her head.
It seems to be an important match, it's nice that we don't need to look for seats.

"Liza, since we've been invited and all, why don't we watch?"
"Yes, leaving aside the nonsense earlier, I'm interested with the fight between a man and a dragon."

Liza assented with eyes of a warrior.
Apparently, it's still too early for Liza to dabble in love.